Coupling



June 16, 1953 G. E. HANNA 2,642,297

COUPLING Filed Sept. 10, 1948 vPatented June 16, 1953 Glenn Eager Hanna,l Baltimore'Md., ass'ignorto site@ Manulaeturing "edities Sweats-1 an oxygen connector in aircraft, and'particular# lyv 'in militaryv aircraft where" tlie "personnel 'may be reduire'd'to jhp'." Undef such "circumstances, it lbecomes' unnecessary 'for the" personnel' to take time tomanually d V(gonnect their' oxygen breath# iiigapparatusi 's cey the "predetermined separat-v ing-force" will have-tejen designed fdr such'ecntgendis.

The' 'present invention may be characterized as a breakaway' coupling comprising a" socket' hav; ing a Wall penetratedV by a detent poeke'tya d'etent received 4iri the "pockeffj 'dtientT operator havingan 'inclinedsurfac' 'in' bearing en'gagel mentiwith the dtentj a spring biasing the' opcrater towards a detent confining position' arid a plug for the socket,` theplugh'av'ing a; recess registrable with g'vagabl'e 'with the dtient to transmit `r'iiov'e-l ment to the 'opera-tor in opposition to the spring. The movement" transmitted `to"the" operator vin oppositiorl'to` the spring will 'result from 'a sep#- arating force vvherf thl'edciiplil1gi'sVV to' be broken,

tion Wllbe of opposite sig-'n "so that one of them Will b@ @ieC/ e @u lllg il CQllPlP 9????4'91011 and the other' Vduring an' There are preferably a"pluravlity"of detent pockets in the socket member, each 'receiving ardetent element sc as to distribiite Egprssed differently! @he prarvkaway Wuming f th Present investi@ be said vcc P Se 1211i all@ $09k?? Kimber@ .gne of tu?,

bersfhavmg a perforated Walid I-l-ning 'tue'ueteiit and an inclined wall provided on" feat "te trie.

uncouplingrv operation.'

f the sealing ring; any internal: pressure'within- 4 -rains 01. 2155 forated. member, the pockets being preferably' radialY and equally"V spaced circurnferentially" of the socket 'menl'nerfn The assembled'coupling preferably provides an unobstruct'ed`-bore of form eross'section Where'it is desired 'to' avoid any separating effects resulting from fluid under pressure Within the coupling; When'tle componentsu have become unseated with' respetat to the coupling will assist in'4 the separation' of the membes. v A more complete understanding of the invention will follow a more detailed description based upon the accompanying drawing Wherein:

Fig; 1 s'a SectionalT elevatior'of the' assembled coupling;

Fig; 2 isa fragmentaryv sectional. elevation ShQWirig the relatiohshi'pof the parts a'samsep# aratng mcvement beginsy' Y* *f* 3 is afragr'nentary sectional elevation showing `the relationship yof the parts after the separating farce has continued beyond' that 'del picted n'Fg. Zia'nd Fig. f1 is a' fragmentary. sectional elevation depicting the relationshipA of the parts `assunriedimmediately after the' detent Ahas releasedthe parts for' separa-tion andl immediately before the datent 'is Dperated-{for coupling the parts.V

A solcketmember .i fis provided vWith a counterbore I2 to receive a plug |42 The"'counterbore4 terminatesat aflarger'couterbore I64 defining aseat'lfor a; gasketor sealing member l8"agai'ist which .the leading endv 2- 0 'of'f the plug abutsivvhe'n the .members are assembled as 'shown'in'Figs' '1".- rEthel-leading end of' theplugiis'slightly reduced beyond ari-inclined surfacevn'and at''antinte l'nesjilialie pcnaion` l'fhereiof,r .the plugprvidesa recess- 24 defined by topposi-tely inclined suraces 26 28.

Thesocket Wallis perforated to provide radial pockets 30,' preferably` iat" least' -th'r`ee","-"e'quallS7 spaced circumferential-ly thereof to""prvi'de'r''a` suitable centering acti'on 'fr-"the plug. 'Air :mi nular ring Membranes the. sockt-fso thati't's inclined' surface" 3Abeas'"ag"aihst' the dte-ts 3:6 contained me' po-@ketsundr tiiefmfiirenc of 4aSpringet :whoseoppositefe'ndabdtsa snulder im formed tir-'fa ccrnirngsl the' socket depiturmwigfi; uis plug' 1s proviuedwitnan nterniedateffiange-fls t-lim't itsfpenetrauon"intorftnsockt: femt' rifi of the plug and socket members are formed with enlargements 48 of a type well known for securing the ends of flexible hose material.

When a separating4 force is imposed upon the plug and socket members. the balls will be urged outwardly as they ride upwardly on the inclined surface 26, resulting inmovement of the annulus 32 against the force of its biasing spring 38 which becomes compressed as depicted in Fig. 2 during an early phase of the separating .operation and farther compressed as depicted in Fig. 3 during a later phase of the operation. In fact, as depicted in Fig. 3, the balls have been moved outwardly to their full extent under the iniluence of the movement of the plug so that further separating movement will permit the plug to be completely withdrawn from the socket towards which condition it can be'moved Without further restraint from aV position such as that shown in Fig. 4. e

Fig. 4 also represents the positions assumed by the parts during a coupling operation just before the inclined surface 22 near the leading end of the plug causes the balls to move outwardly to transmit movement to the annulus or operator 32 against the force of its spring 38. Further coupling movement of the members will cause them to assume progressive positions as depicted in Figs. 3, 2 and 1 respectively.

It will be clear that the predetermined force which will be effective to separate the members can be varied by selecting diierent tapers for the inclined surface 34 of the operator or annulus 32, by inserting springs 38 of different strengths and/or by adjusting the position of the conning sleeve 42 with respect to the socket to compress the spring more or less.

With the coupling members and the sealing member defining a bore of constant cross section as shown in Fig. l', there will be no appreciable separating effect caused by the pressure of uid within the coupling. However, when a separating eiect has been initiated so that the end of the plug is withdrawn from the sealing member, as depicted in Fig. 2, any iluid pressure within the coupling will assist the separating action.

It will be clear to those skilled in the art that the parts will be designed against unintended separation at forces below that for which they are designed. However, when a pilot or other aviation personnel are forced to jump for their lives, the coupling will separate automatically without any requirement for the expenditure of any precious moments. It will also be clear to those skilled in the art as it has been clear to the present inventor that there are many other applications for which couplings of this type are well suited. Accordingly, although only one specific form of the invention has been illustrated and described, the invention should not be restricted thereto beyond the scope of the appended claims.

I claim: 1. A breakaway coupling separable in response to a predetermined tensile force comprising a `'socket having a wall penetrated by a detent pocket, a detent received in said pocket and movable in a radial path, a detent operator having an inclined surface 1n bearing engagement with said detent, a helical spring coaxial with said socket biasing said operator towards a detent confining position, a housing member fixed to said socket A enclosing said operator and spring, and a plug for said socket, said plug having a recess registrable with said detent and an inclined wall disposed at an acute angle to said path engageable with said detent to impart radial movement thereto and thereby transmit separating force to said operator in opposition to said spring.

2. A breakaway coupling separable in response to a predetermined tensile force comprising a socket having an inner wall penetrated by a plurality of detent pockets, a detent received in each of said pockets and movable in a radial path, a detent operator having an inclined surface in bearing engagement with said detents, a helical spring coaxial with said socket biasing said operator towards a detent confining position, an outer wall axially fixed to said inner Wall housing said operator and spring, and a plug for said socket, said plug having a -recess registrable with said detents and an inclined wall disposed at an acute angle t'o said path engageable with said detents to impart'radial movement thereto and thereby transmit movement to said operator in opposition to said spring. I

3. A breakaway coupling separable in response to a predetermined tensile force comprising plug and socket members, one of said members having spaced walls secured against relative movement, one of said walls containing perforations deiining detent pockets, detent balls received in said pockets between said walls and movable in a radial path, a helical spring carried by and coaxial with said one member between said walls biasingV said balls towards projected positions for securingV said members together, and ball engaging means disposed at an acute angle to said path carried by the other of said members for shifting said balls to retracted positions invopposition to said biasing means during-coupling and uncoupling operations. y

4. A breakaway coupling separable in responsel to a predetermined tensile force comprising plug and socket members, said socket member having an inner wall penetrated by a detent pocket, a

detent received in said pocket and movable in aA radial path, said plug member having a recess registrable with said detent and defining a seat therefor, a helical spring coaxial with said socket member biasing said detent towards said seat, an outer wall secured against movement relative to said inner wall housing said spring, and an inclinedi'wall disposed at an acute angle to said path and carried by said plug member engageable with said detcntto force it from said seat in opposition to said spring in response to tension applied to said members. Y

GLENN EAGER HANNA.

aerei-ences caes in the sie of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 751,345 VSaunders Feb. 2, 1904 994,804 Wahlstrom June 13, 1911 1,175,402 Baylis Mar. 14, 1916-` 1,456,290 'reu May 22, 1923 1,527,383 Solliday Feb. 24, 1925 1,635,909 Tobeler July 12, 1927 f 1,770,912 Clapp July 22, 1930 2,069,377 Matthiessen Feb. 2, 193'?` 2,092,116 Hansen Sept. 7, 1937' 2,394,236 Eastman Feb. 5, 1946 2,429,202V Estill et al. Oct. 21, 1947 2,466,884 English et al. Apr. 12, 1949 IML 

